Naila's conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: You may choose what you want to be when you grow up, but we will choose your husband. Dating, even a friendship with a boy, is forbidden. So when Naila falls in love with Saif, a Pakistani-American classmate, and tries to date him on the sly, her parents are livid. They insist on a trip to Pakistan to visit their relatives and explore their roots. But several weeks into what she's been led to believe is a family vacation, Naila suddenly learns the real reason for the trip - her parents have found a 2 suitor and they are determined Naila will marry him. Naila is aghast. Her only hope of escape is Saif, who swore he would do anything for her. But will it be too late by the time he gets to her? And was this destiny written in the stars? Or can she make her own destiny.
Initial thoughts: Very little about Written in the Stars surprised me because it's based on the realities of arranged and forced marriages. Every now and then articles are published in the news about related atrocities, and I've had to read up a little as well during my undergrad studies. Regardless, that doesn't mean I was any less horrified.
While arranged marriages alone already are an inconceivable concept to many, I've had friends in the past who grew up knowing that that would be their fate. Arranged marriages in themselves are cultural practices and traditions that aren't necessarily better or worse than marrying for love. Who has the right to judge cultural values? Forced marriages seem even further removed.
What many don't realise is the extent to which forced marriages can destroy lives and futures. Written in the Stars deals with precisely this — the extremities that underscore this practice. Amidst the heartbreaking sequence of events other cultural aspects of Pakistan were woven into the narrative, particularly the food, language, clothes and familial relations. Still, I wish there had been more of that. On the whole, I think Written in the Stars also would have benefitted from being a longer book with greater depth and exploration of the various characters.
